Fresh

Fresh Brown Sugar Hand Cream

Fresh Brown Sugar Hand Cream ($18.50 for 2.5 oz.) is described as an “ultra-rich formula customized for the most dehydrated hands that offers supreme moisture, leaves hands soft, and promotes healthy-looking cuticles.”

Now, despite the usage of “brown sugar” in the title, it’s referring to the inclusiom of brown sugar crystals in the formula itself, but it has nothing to do with the scent. I know when I first tested this product out, I expected something sweet and food-ish, but the scent is actually a stronger, herbal-ish lemon. Distinctly lemon, but it almost borders on cloying and synthetic. I’m actually a fiend for lemon-y scent (seriously, I love all lemon-scented kitchen soaps!), but this smelled a little off.

As a hand cream, it’s a decent product: a very thick, luxuriously textured cream that absorbs in a few minutes without leaving behind any greasy residue. It moisturizes well if you have normal skin, but when my hands are at their driest, I don’t find that it to outperform some of my favorites (like Jack Black Hand Healer). It just leaves my hands shy of feeling truly soothed and infused with moisture. This seems to do better at locking in existing moisture while imparting some but not quite enough.

It’s not bad, and it’s better than average, but I don’t think it will work well for those with particularly dry or cracked hands. I did like the texture and how quickly the product absorbed (which can always be an issue in thicker creams like this one). If your hands are in better shape and the scent catches your fancy, I think this will do the trick for you.

Skincare: Fresh Soy Face Cream

Fresh Soy Face Cream ($38.00 for 1.7 oz.) is a lightweight face cream that moisturizes skin without leaving behind any greasy residue. To me, this feels and acts like a no-frills face cream, but it has a surprising amount of ingredients designed to hydrate and freshen the skin.

what it’s supposed to do: It is a paraben-free daily moisturizer for all skin types. It is enriched with moisture-retaining amino acids and protective antioxidants to hydrate and smooth the skin. Provides essential daily moisture while soothing, protecting, and firming the skin. It is scientifically demonstrated to have significant, long-term moisturizing and restorative effects on the skin. The lightweight, fast-absorbing formula can be worn alone or under makeup.

It took me about a month and a half to get through an entire tube, and I used it as my AM moisturizer. My skin type is normal-to-dry, and when I was using this, it was early fall, so my skin was closer to normal. I found this kept my skin perfectly hydrated throughout the day, and I loved how thick and rich it felt when I first applied but then how quickly it absorbed.

There are a few ingredients in the cream that work to give skin a better appearance but not in the vein of delivering you newborn baby skin–it includes rosewater and cucumber extract, both of wihch help to balance/restore skin while calming irritation/redness. There is also meadowfoam and jojoba seed oils that amp up hydration. I felt like this came in handy after doing several cheek swatches–always made my skin feel better about itself.

It has this fresh scent of cucumbers and rose with a little citrus. It smells natural to me–not synthetic, not flowery–and I liked it personally. It comes in a squeeze-tube, which I liked, because it made it convenient to dispense and hygenic to use.

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Product: 28/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

final thoughts: I liked this a lot–I would definitely consider purchasing it again in the future. There was enough richness to keep my skin hydrated during the day, but it absorbed into the skin in a minute or less, and so it made for an excellent base under makeup, too.

Fresh Eat, Pray, Love Collection

Fresh is thrilled to announce an exciting partnership with Sony Pictures’ feature film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, debuting in theaters August 13, 2010. Lev Glazman, Fresh Co-founder and Fragrance Designer, was instantly intrigued by the project: “Fragrance is a big part of my own spiritual journey. I have always been emotionally connected to scent. It is how I organize my own memories, the special moments in my life. With every chapter of Eat, Pray, Love, I found myself automatically translating each into a scent.” The results are emotionally-charged fragrances designed to be worn alone or layered together, that not only transport you to a specific destination, but also to a different state of mind. Embark on a sensorial journey with the Fresh Eat, Pray, Love Collection:

EAT EAU DE PARFUM ($32.00 for 1 oz.)

This sweet, effervescent scent indulges in Italy’s most addictive desserts and sensual wines. It celebrates the beauty of reconnecting with your body’s needs after a great sadness, forgetting consequences and giving in to the simple pleasures it craves. Notes of bright Italian lemon and basil are balanced with creamy textures reminiscent of cannoli and tiramisus topped off with sparkling Prosecco and Limoncello for the ultimate gourmand experience.

Top Notes: Italian lemon, basil, bergamot

Middle Notes: plum, red currant, rose

Bottom Notes: caramel, meringue, vanilla

PRAY EAU DE PARFUM ($32.00 for 1 oz.)

Inspired by India’s serene sunsets, fresh soil, and traces of incense and spices that permeate warm winds, this scent has great impact and ultimately puts you at peace. A comforting blend of jasmines, pink pepper, patchouli, ambers, juniper berries, cardamom, and incense results in a woodsy fragrance laced with exotic spices and silky undertones.

Top Notes: elemi, pink pepper, juniper berry

Middle Notes: incense, peony, rose

Base Notes: patchouli, amber, musk

LOVE EAU DE PARFUM ($32.00 for 1 oz.)

This fragrance bottles the bright, colorful, anything-is-possible feelings of falling in love. Scents of passion, like percolating pheromones, sun-caressed skin, and salty kisses, are combined with the lush aromas of Indonesia’s exotic landscape for a sunny floral fragrance with tropical fruity undertones.

Top Notes: bergamot, red currant, mango blossom

Middle Notes: lisylang, Tiare, dewy jasmine

Base Notes: sandalwood, vetyver, velvet amber

CANDLE TRIO ($45)

This artisanal trio of petite candles features the unique scents of Eat, Pray, and Love. Designed to be burned separately or together, different candle combinations allow you to create different moods throughout the home. Each is made with a special blend of waxes that preserves the fragrance from start to finish and
a lead-free wick for a clean flame.

The Fresh Eat Pray Love Collection will be available beginning July 15 for a limited time exclusively at Fresh retail stores and www.fresh.com.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 ($22.50 for 0.15 oz.) is a moisturizing lip balm in a tube. The Sugar Lip Treatment is definitely hydrating, and it’s thick enough that it leaves a thin, buttery layer on lips once applied. It has a slightly gloss look, but it isn’t too high-shine. I love how moisturizing it is when it’s on my lips, but the problem is it doesn’t last for more than a couple of hours. I find that constant reapplication is necessary to maintain that hydrated feel–once you stop, so does the moisturizing.

I love the sweet, lemony scent, though, but I am a sucker for citrus-y scents–though there’s no real taste to me! This is something I like to use during the day and at my desk. I tend to reapply lip balm several times throughout the day as I eat/drink and the like, so it’s perfect for that. It’s not so great for a slick of balm at night, because it just doesn’t last long enough for that. It does contain SPF 15 (octinoxate at 7.49% and oxybenzone at 2%), which is a nice touch.

The packaging is gorgeous–it’s an near matte but slightly metallic bronzed metal (well, that’s what it feels like!) tube. It’s sturdy and has a bit of heft to it, which makes it feel like a lipstick rather than a lip balm. All the fancy packaging probably contributes to the higher price tag–at least for a lip balm–but it’s much more emollient than many other stick-based balms I’ve tried.

I like it–between the scent and the buttery feel on my lips–I may purchase another tube once I finish this one. I like the convenience of a tube, the lemon-y scent, and the feel. I do think a product like this is easy to go through, though, because it’s so emollient that it’s easy to over-apply and finish up a tube rather quickly. I’ve been testing it out for a week or so now, and I expect one tube will last just over a month with daily use.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 26/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: It’s not a miracle treatment, but it’s a nice lip balm for everyday use. If you have only slightly chapped or dry lips, I think this may be sufficient for you. Those looking for more long-term results may find that the moisturization stops when you stop using the product.